The Clone Warsrevealed quite a bit about the Sith’s origins and history in theStar Warscanon. Depicting the three-year war between the Galactic Republic and the Separatist Alliance set betweenAttack of the ClonesandRevenge of the Sith, the animated series primarily followed the adventures of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, and their fellow Jedi Knight as they led the Republic’s clone troopers into battle on various worlds. However, the series also revealed some fascinating things about the dark side and the Dark Lords of the Sith.
Across its seven seasons released between 2008-2020,The Clone Warsanimated seriesprovided some incredible context and evolution that all pointed Anakin Skywalker toward his eventual corruption to the dark side of the Force as Darth Vader. However, it also fleshes out several elements regarding both the history and ongoing plots of the Sith Lords.With that in mind, here are all ofThe Clone Wars’biggest reveals about the history and origins of the Sith Lords.
8Clone Wars Explored The Origins Of The Dark Side On Mortis
The Son Represented The Dark Side of the Force
As seen inThe Clone Warsseason, Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka inadvertently find themselves on the mysterious Force world of Mortis, home to the trio of celestial beings known as The Ones. Serving as anchorites whose actions affected the flow of the Force itself, The Father represented the balance and kept his children in check, while his Daughter embodied the light side of the Force.However, The Son was of the dark side, seeking greater power and freedom outside his father’s purview.
The Son relishes the chance to corrupt Anakin Skywalker and his status as the Chosen One to increase the dark side’s dominance over the galaxy. As such, The Son shows Anakin all that he would become in a key vision, and deleted scenes even show The Son communing with the spirits of Darth Bane and Revan. However, The Father eventually erases the vision from Skywalker’s memory to preserve his future destiny.
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Regardless, it’s impressive thatThe Clone Warsshowed the living manifestation of the dark side itself. Likewise, the iconography of The Son and his family members would later be featured in the animatedStar Wars Rebelsseries,as well as large statues depicting the Mortis gods' likenesseson the world of Peridea as seen in 2023’sAhsoka. This suggests thatStar Warsmay have future plans for the Mortis Gods beyond their handful ofClone Warsepisodes.
7Yoda Visited Moraband, Homeworld of the Ancient Sith Order
His Presence Didn’t Go Unnoticed
In season 6 ofThe Clone Wars, Grandmaster Yoda undergoes various trials as he learns how to retain his spirit after death in the Force.This includes a dark visit to the Sith world of Moraband. Once known as Korriban, Moraband was the homeworld of the ancient Sith Order. To that end,Yoda is led to visit Moraband’s Valley of the Dark Lords, a dark wasteland of tombs containing the remains of several Sith Lords from the past.
In the ancient past of theStar Warstimeline, a group of rogue Jedi left the Jedi Order due to their study of the dark side. Likewise, Moraband was where this splinter faction chose to settle and begin building their Sith Order (and subsequent empires). Revered as demigods by the planet’s natives, the Dark Lords of the Sith built massive mausoleums to honor their fallen masters.
While the world eventually became a wasteland following the Sith Empire’s eventual decline,the Sith that remained and those living during the Skywalker saga never forgot about Moraband. Case in point, Darth Sidious himself was able to sense Yoda’s arrival on Moraband as seen inThe Clone Wars.While this prompted Sidious and his apprentice Count Dooku to cast dark side visions to plague Yoda from afar, the Grandmaster endured their dark power and continued his trials.
6Clone Wars Revealed What Darth Bane Really Looks Like
Creator of the Rule of Two
During Yoda’s visit to Moraband and the Valley of the Dark Lords, the Grandmaster faces none other than the dark spirit ofDarth Bane who created the Sith’s Rule of Two. As such,Star Warsfans could see what the legendary Sith Lord looked like in the official canon for the first time. Wearing ancient and imposing armor with a fearsome helmet, it did seem as though Yoda might have been overwhelmed by one of the most powerful Sith Lords of all time. However, Yoda remains steadfast inThe Clone Warsseason 6, as Bane’s spirit was locked and tethered to his tomb and remains on Moraband.
5Palpatine Betrayed Mother Talzin, Leader of the Nightsisters
He Didn’t Just Steal Maul
Serving as the leader of the Nightsisters of the Dathomir, it was eventually revealed inClone Warscomics connected to the animated series that Mother Talzin has quite a history with Darth Sidious aka Palpatine. Years beforeThe Phantom Menace,Sidious stole Talzin’s son Maul from her to train and transform him into his new Sith apprentice. However, it was also revealed that this was after Darth Sidious had promised to make Talzin herself his apprentice.
As such, this massive betrayal explains theNightsisters' ongoing rivalry with the Sith Lordsduring the Skywalker saga, even though both factions utilize the dark side of the Force. Likewise, their hatred of the Sith only increased as theStar Warstimeline progressed. This was especially true after Count Dooku betrayed his own apprentice, Asajj Ventress, as seen inThe Clone Warsseason 3 (another child of the Dathomiri Nightsisters). However, the Sith were proven the ultimate victors following the brutal Nightsister massacre that was led by General Grievous on Dooku’s orders.
4Maul Confirms The Sith Code in Star Wars
Making It Part of the Official Canon
InThe Clone Warsseason 4, Savage Opress finds Darth Maul in exile on the trash world of Lotho Minor. Having lost his legs in hisPhantom Menaceduel with Obi-Wan Kenobi, Maul had created an arachnid apparatus to move, though his mind was fully broken having spent 12 years discarded in the darkness. Before Savage took Maul back to Dathomir to be restored by Mother Talzin,Maul’s crazed mutterings are actually pieces of the ancient Sith Codethat had been created for theKnights of the Old Republicgames:
Through Victory my chains are Broken.
The Force shall free me.
Had Maul not said the Sith Code out loud on Lotho Minor duringThe Clone Warsseason 4, it would have been relegated to the non-canon Legends following Disney’s 2014 reboot where only the core movies and shows remained part of the officialStar Warscontinuity. As such,Maul ensured that the Sith Code remained canonical thanks to his initialClone Warsarc with his long-lost brother.
3The Clone Wars Revealed The Sith’s Clone Conspiracy With Sifo-Dyas
The Full Extent of Palpatine and Dooku’s Plot
WhenJedi Master Sifo-Dyas’lightsaber is discovered duringThe Clone Warsseason 6, the Jedi Council reopens the investigation into the Jedi’s disappearance and his mysterious order of the Republic’s clone army. After all, it was revealed that Sifo-Dyas ordered the clone army years beforeAttack of the Clonesand had done so in secret without the Council or Republic Senate’s approval. When word of the investigation reaches Chancellor Palpatine,Sidious threatens and demands that Dooku tie up this loose end, as the Jedi could unravel their entire Sith conspiracy with the clones.
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Ultimately, the Jedi deduce that Dooku was behind the clones' creation and had likely co-opted Sifo-Dyas' order with the Kaminoans. However, the Jedi still didn’t know the full extent as to why, though they determined that all they could do was play the Sith’s game until they could learn more. Nevertheless, the episode helped flesh out several key elements and question marks behind Sifo-Dyas' foundational role in the Clone Wars, and Yoda himself also faced a vision of the Jedi Master on Moraband (thanks to the work of the Sith).
2Clone Wars Revealed There Have Been Many Sith Empires In History
Palpatine Confirms The Sith Empires Of The Past
The Clone Warsseason 4 featured an arc on the planet Kadavo that was under the control of the Zygerrian Slave Empire, which was attempting to resume the ancient galactic slave trade with support from Count Dooku and the Separatists. Likewise, at one point during a communication between Dooku and Darth Sidious,the Sith Master confirms the existence of multiple Sith Empires that existed in the past:
“Long have Sith Empires been built upon the backs of slaves”.
This quote from Sidious directly ties into the history that was established in the Expanded Universe that has since become Legends,confirming that there have been multiple iterations of the Sith Empire over the years (before Darth Bane’s Rule of Two).
1The Sith Have Always Relied On Slave Labor To Control The Galaxy
Palpatine’s Empire Was The Same
On the other side of that same coin,the confirmation fromThe Clone Warsthat the Sith Empires have always been tied to slave labor is quite poignant as well. Likewise, the same is true for Palpatine’s Empire that comes at the Clone Wars' end. Not only were the Geonosians wiped out after they helped build the Death Star, but the Wookiees faced all manner of oppression at the hands of the Empire, and the Expanded Universe saw them being forced to work on the battle station as well. Likewise,Andorconfirmed that the Empire would keep its prisoners locked away indefinitely with no chance of release, forcing them to work on components of the Death Star in the officialStar Warscanon.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Cast
Star Wars: The Clone Wars is an animated series that explores the intense conflict between the Republic and the Separatists. Featuring a mix of loyalty shifts and alliances, it delves into complex mysteries of the Force and showcases pivotal moments for characters like Anakin Skywalker and Master Yoda.
